Kaulitya advocated the freedom to offend, although his support for free speech left much to be desired

4.3BJP/VHP/Sangh Parivar are Muslims /Christians who pretend to be “Hindu”

An amazing phenomenon has come into India over the past few decades: there are bunch of people who have forgotten everything about India's glorious philosophical past, and started COPYING the worst elements of Islam and Christianity.

We know that Christianity was the WORST "religion" of the world for nearly 2000 years. Almost no religion comes even close to it in terms of intolerance. Burning books, burning anyone with a different view – these were regularly practiced in this "religion".

Only after many determined attacks against its brutality, including from people like Locke and Voltaire, did Christianity become a somewhat civilised religion. Even in the 20th century, it was deeply involved in the killing of millions of people, including in Nazi Germany.

Similarly, Islam has a troubled history. Although liberal in its foundations,  it grew increasingly intolerant and book burning was part of its regular practice.

Therefore there is no surprise when we hear of Muslims going on a rampage against anyone they don't like.

These monothesitic religions are intellectual dead-ends. There is no life/fertility of thought in them.

Christianity led to the Dark Ages where the light of science was completely blocked for 1000 years. Without non-believers like Newton, Europe would have remained in the Dark Ages for ever.

Similarly, Islam could NEVER have produced any of the discoveries of modern science on its own. Oil would have remained below the ground on which they lived like barbaric, uncouth tribals interested only in loot and plunder.

These are the 'dark' religions of mankind. No light of knowledge can shine through them into the human mind. Either you believe in their 'books', or you are an apostate.

Not so was India.

Hinduism (by which I mean the entire conglomeration of philosophies and schools of thoughts of ancient India) was an OPEN 'religion'.

Everything was up for discussion/debate. NO BOOK WAS EVER BURNT OR DESTROYED IN INDIA.

Till recently.

Recently a bunch of Muslims and Christians, calling themselves "Hindu" and leading organsations called "Vishwa Hindu Parishad", BJP and the like, have started destroying Hinduism from within. Like a Trojan Horse.

These Muslims and Christians are aping the WORST characteristics of Christianity and Islam and have commenced the destruction of books.

I object to these people who want to destroy Hinduism as I know it.

4.4Raja Rammohun’s fight for freedom of expression in India

Continuing my discussions on the key contribitions of India's great classical liberal, Raja Rammohun Roy, here is an extract from The Life and Letters of Raja Rammohun Roy [Word version here]. The selection outlines his fight for freedom of expression in India. Note that his arguments precede J.S. Mill's essay, On Liberty and must rank as a landmark in mankind's search for liberty. 

==EXTRACT==

At the celebration of the death anniversary of the Raja on 27th, September, 1904, The Hon’ble Babu Surendra Nath Banerjee said, in the course of a speech: “Let it be remembered that Rammohun was not only the Founder of the Brahmo Somaj and the pioneer of all social reform in Bengal, but he was also the Father of constitutional agitation in India.”

The first stand made by the people of India in defence of their civil rights was when Raja Rammohun Roy, in his own name and in the name of five of his friends, submitted amemorial to the Supreme Court in Calcutta, on the 31st March, 1823 against the Ordinance of the then acting Governor General, Mr. Adarn, prescribing that thenceforth no one should publish a newspaper or other periodical without having obtained a licence from the Governor General in Council.” The conception as well as the execution of the memorial was Rammohun Roy’s own. Miss Collet has justly said of the memorial, “it may be regarded as the Areopagitica of Indian history. Alike in diction and in argument, it forms a noble landmark in the progress of English culture in the East.” 

EXTRACT FROM RRR'S MEMORIAL TO THE SUPREME COURT

"After this Rule and Ordinance shall have been carried into execution, your memorialists are therefore sorry to observe, that a complete stop will be put to the diffusion of knowledge and the consequent mental improvement now going on, either by translations into the popular dialect of this country from the learned languages of the east, or by the circulation of literary intelligence drawn from foreign publications. And the same cause will also prevent those Natives who are better versed in the laws and customs of the British Nation from communicating to their fellow subjects a knowledge of the admirable system of Government established by the British and the peculiar excellencies of the means they have adopted for the strict and impartial administration of justice.

Another evil of equal importance in the eyes of a just Ruler is that it will also preclude the natives from making the Government readily acquainted with the errors and injustice that may be committed by its executive officers in the various parts of this extensive country; and it will also preclude the Natives from communicating frankly and honestly, to their Gracious sovereign in England and his Council, the real condition of His Majesty’s faithful subjects in this distant part of his dominions and the treatment they experience from the local Government; since such information cannot in future be conveyed to England, as it has been, either by the translations from the Native publications inserted in the English newspapers printed here and sent to Europe or by the English publications which the Natives themselves had in contemplation to establish, before this Rule and Ordinance was proposed. After this sudden deprivation of one of the most precious of their rights which has been freely allowed them since the establishment of the British power, a right which they are not, cannot be, charged with having ever abused, the inhabitants of Calcutta would be no longer justified in boasting … that they are secured in the enjoyments of the same civil and religious privileges that every Briton is entitled to in England.” 

When this memorial was rejected by the Supreme Court, the Raja prepared a fresh memorial to be submitted to the King. Miss Collet has characterised this latter as “one of the noblest pieces of English to which Rammohun put his hand. Its stately periods and not less stately thought recall the eloquence of the great orators of a century ago. In a language and style for ever associated with the glorious vindication of liberty it invokes against arbitrary exercise of British power the principles and the traditions which are distinctive of British history.” It was really a marvellous production, considering the age and the circumstances under which it was written. But it had produced no better results than its predecessor.

The Privy Council in November, 1825, after six months’ consideration declined to comply with the petition.

In 1827 Rammohun Roy made another spirited protest against the illiberal policy of the Government, which reveals his ever wakeful solicitude for the rights of his countrymen as well as his deep political insight.